Writing in his weekly column, Hoddle feels a good run in the Champions League could ultimately hinder City’s title prospects and hand the initiative to Arsenal.

“Manchester City ought to be favourites because of the money and squad they have, but my feeling is that they will struggle to combine a Champions League campaign and title challenge, which is why, though Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester United could feature, I have Arsenal as my favourites,” he explained.

Arsenal’s bid to win their first title in over a decade took a hit at the weekend as they were defeat 1-0 by London rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.

It leaves Arsene Wenger’s men in third spot in the table, three points behind leaders Leicester City.

In spite of the setback, Arsenal’s situation is beginning to look better amid the return of a number of players from injury and their European clash with Barcelona could work out in their favour.

If, as expected, Barcelona prevail over the two legs, the North London side can then turn their full attention to the league and prepare better mentally for the task in hand.

Tom Thorogood

I'm a 27 year old language teacher and writer based out in Mexico with a passion for football and swimming. I like to focus on the top European Leagues, especially La Liga, as well as the footballing development in Central and South America. My favourite teams include Derby County, Barcelona and Jagaures de Chiapas.